2014 World Championships

Stybar, Vos Win 2014 Cyclocross World Championships

Zdenek Stybar and Marianne Vos add more world titles to their resumes, while Belgians dominate Junior and U23 races

whit yost

(Photo by In his seventh 'cross race of the season, Stybar defeated defending world champion Sven Nys (right). (Wil Matthews))

In only his seventh cyclocross race of the season, the Czech Republic’s Zdenek Stybar defeated Belgium’s defending-champion Sven Nys to win his third Elite Men’s UCI Cyclocross World Championship in Hoogerheide, the Netherlands.

The race started fast, with France’s Francis Mourey jumping out to an early lead. By the end of the second lap, Stybar, Nys, and home-favorite Lars Van der Haar had caught the Frenchman, and the four of them surged ahead in what had the look of the race-winning move. Stybar and Nys took turns setting the pace, but as the fourth lap began, Nys looked to have had enough. Surging to the front, the Belgian forced first Mourey and then Van der Haar into difficulty. Only Stybar was able to stay with the Belgian, and halfway through the 60-minute event, it was a two-man race for the championship.

As the lap count dwindled, Nys looked to be in control as Stybar struggled to hold the Belgian’s wheel through the muddier and more technical sections of the course. Each time the Czech rider made a mistake, Nys surged ahead, but Stybar was able to regain his position on Nys’s rear wheel. At one point on the penultimate lap, Stybar crashed, giving Nys an open door victory. But again Stybar clawed his way back. Sensing Stybar’s fatigue, Nys attacked again and quickly got a gap. But the Belgian made a mistake of his own this time, crashing in a corner. Entering the final lap, the two were once again together.

A sprint would have suited Stybar, who was by far the faster finisher. But perhaps unwilling to take his chances, Stybar attacked this time, putting Nys on the defensive. The move worked, as a bad line through a muddy section forced Nys off his bike, giving Stybar all the breathing room he needed to ride to a 12-second victory.

Behind, Belgian Kevin Pauwels held-off his compatriot, Klaas Vantornout, for third. Six of Belgium’s seven starters finished inside the top-10, but that was small consolation considering how close Nys came to defending his title against a rider who wasn’t slated to race until Thursday.

Stybar’s last-minute entry made his performance somewhat of a surprise. After winning back-to-back cyclocross world championships in 2010 and 2011, Stybar switched to road racing with Omega Pharma–Quick-Step, a move that quickly paid-off with impressive finishes in some of the sport’s biggest events. But after a successful string of cyclocross performances in late-December, Stybar decided to follow-up a long block of road training in Mallorca with a trip to Hoogerheide to try and win one more world title for his Belgian sponsors.

"From the beginning I just thought 'OK, let's make the race hard,' as I had nothing to lose," said Stybar after the race. “I had done only six cyclocross races and thought 'OK, this is a circuit that would suit me and I am just going to try,' but I really didn't expect I would be World Champion.”

Jonathan Page led the way for the American contingent in 18th. Jeremy Powers and Ryan Trebon finished 24th and 31st, respectively.

Vos Claims Seventh Title
In the Elite Women’s race Saturday afternoon, Italy’s Eva Lechner was initially the only rider able to stay with the Netherlands’ Marianne Vos. But by the end of the first lap, Vos was alone in front and time trialing her way to an unprecedented seventh World Championship. Lechner held on for second while Great Britain’s Helen Wyman won an exciting battle for third with Belgium’s Sanne Cant.

Italian Eva Lechner (left) was able to follow Vos for a second-place finish. (Wil Matthews)

For American Katie Compton, the winner of the season-long World Cup series and the only rider believed able to challenge Vos, the world championship was again a disappointment. Last year, Compton was one of the favorites, but a bad start meant she spent most of the race chasing from behind. By the time she clawed her way back to the front, Vos was already gone. Compton settled for second.

Saturday seemed like a bad case of déjà vu, as Compton was again unable to recover from a bad start and a first-lap tangle with another rider. Like last year she fought her way back into medal contention, but it once again proved to be too little, too late. Seemingly exhausted from the intense effort it took just to join the first riders on the course, the American was unable to stay with the chasing Belgian and British riders. She faded to a ninth-place finish by the end of the race. Other American finishers were Kaitie Antonneau in 13th, Elle Anderson in 15th, and Meredith Miller in 24th, Crystal Anthony in 30th, and Arley Kemmerer in 34th.

Belgium Rules the Junior and U23 Races
Despite missing out in the Elite Men’s and Women’s events, the weekend’s first world championship went to Belgium as the nation dominated Saturday morning’s Junior Men’s event. Belgium put three men on the podium and five riders in the top-10 with Thijs Aerts winning the world title ahead Yannick Peeters and Jelle Schuermans. Pre-race favorite Adam Toupalik of the Czech Republic dropped-out early after spending the past few days battling sickness—a crash at the start certainly didn’t help his race either. Maxx Chance was the first American finisher in 26th. Cooper Willsey, Austin Vincent, and Peter Goguen finished 29th, 30th, and 42nd.

Belgium also dictated the outcome of Sunday morning’s U23 Men’s event. Belgian and Dutch riders surged to the front early led by Belgian World Cup champion Wout Van Aert and two-time junior world champion Mathieu van der Poel of the Netherlands, the two top-favorites to take the title.

By the end of the second lap though, Van Aert had forged a 30-second lead, leaving van der Poel and teammate Mike Teunnisen (the defending U23 champion) behind in a group with Belgians Michael Vanthourenhout and Laurens Sweeck. At this point, team tactics took control as the Belgians systematically shutdown any attempt by the home riders to chase down Van Aert.

Alone out front, Van Aert rode like a young man possessed, powering through the mud on his way to his first world championship. Behind him, Vanthourenhout escaped to take second, while van der Poel was able to overcome Zweeck and Aerts for third. Logan Owen led the way for the Americans with a 14th-place finish in his first championship with the U23s. Curtis White ended the day in 24th, while Yannik Eckmann, Cody Kaiser, and Tobin Ortenblad finished 28th, 30th, and 34th.
Elite Men's Top 10